Angle-cock for air-brake systems.



I s. H. DUNNING.

ANGLE GOGK FOR AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. '7, 1908.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

- W/TNESSES INVE TOR,

UNITED STATES SAMUEL H. DUNNING, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

ANGLE-COCK FOR AIR-BRAKE SYSTEMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

Application filed. March 7, 1908. Serial No. 419,818.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL H. DUNNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paterson, .Passaic county, New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Angle-Cocks for Air-Brake Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My present invention relates to air brake systems and it consists in certain improvements, afiecting particularly what is known as the angle-cock of such systems, whereby unauthorized persons are prevented from tampering with the angle-cooks and so shutting off any part of the train from the engineers brake control.

ln carrying out my invention I provide the angle-cock with a certain arrangement of ports whereby, should the valve or plug be turned to shut off the rear part of a train brake system from the fore part, the two parts will be at once put in communication with each other and be caused to bleed or exhaust to the atmosphere as one, so that the ensuing application of the brakes follows under uniform conditions throughout the entire system; thus the entire system is either directly subject to the engineers valve or the entire system is bleeding or exhausting to the atmos here uniformly (which involves the app ication of the brakes to the train as a whole), and it is impossible for the engineer to break the tramin two or strain the couplings between cars upon starting forward because one or more of the rear cars are braked while the forward cars are free, as, for instance, where the angle-cock merely makes provision for exhausting the entire system but does not allow the parts of the train forward thereof to communicate with the rear part; that is to say, in an arrangement which has been heretofore proposed and which permits the bleeding of the system both forward and back of the angle-cock when the latter is turned toward the closing position, since the angle-cock did not allow the parts to communicate with each other, the rear part would bleed and the brakes would be set on the rear part of the train, but the forward brakes would not necessarily be set, although the forward part of the system might also be bleeding, because the pump would keep up the pressure.

In carrying out my invention, 1 provide for the desired exhaust of the system and the simultaneous communication of the fore and rear parts of the system in a manner calculated to make it possible to adapt existing angle-cocks to the new function and thus make requipment of angle-cocks unneccessary.

My invention will be found fully illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein,

figure 1 is a plan view of the improved angle-cock; fig. 2 is a side view thereof; and, i igs. 3, 4, and 5 are horizontal sectional views showing the valve or plug turned to different positions.

In said drawing, a designates the body of the angle-cock, having the usual bore b, and c is its conical valve or plug, the same being held in place in the body a, by the spiral spring (I which is compressed between the same and the cap 0 screwed into the lower part of the body.

f is the main port of the valve or plug, the horizontal dimension of which, as usual, is about equal to the horizontal dimension of the bore 1) adjacent the plug or valve.

9 is the handle of the valve or plug, the same being suitably secured to the squared head It thereof and having a downwardly projecting lug i which is arranged to play between the stops disposed the one to mark the limit of movement of the handle at the open position of the valve or plug and the other to mark the limit of movement of the handle at the closed position of said valve or ug. p A vertical row of ports is is formed in the side of the body a to extend to the valve or plug; two corresponding rows of ports Z and m are formed in the valve or plug to extend from substantially opposite points thereof to the main port f. The ports 7c are'so disposed that before the valve or plug can be turned far enough so as to lap the main port f, i. a, cut off communication through said main port as between the fore and rear parts of the system, main port f will begin to register with portslc so that the system-will be bled. The ports 1 and m are, on the other hand, so disposed that as port f is about to be lapped in turning the valve to the closin position (Fig. 4) they begin t tor the bore 6 of the body a, and thus establish tion of an angle-cock comprising means for communication betu een the fore and rear parts of the system, it hich is also open to the atmosphere by Way of the main port f and ports k; and even in the fully closed position of the valve or plug (Fig. 5), the two parts of the system communicate through ports Z and m and discharge in common into the atmosphere through ports Z, m, main port f and port 76. lhus it is impossible to close off the two parts of the system, i. e., that forward of and back of the angle-cock, from communication uith each other in any position of the valve or plug, and any movement toward closing the valve meets at once u ith a release of the air afi'ecting the u hole system.

My invention may be adapted to anglecocks already in use, as follows: Ihe anglecock is removed from the train pipe and then its valve or plug turned (after removing the handle temporarily) until the valve is in the proper position for the boring of one of the series of ports 1 and m and ports it"; these ports are then drilled out. 'lhe valve is noW turned until it stands in the proper position for the boring of the other of the ports Z and m, v hereupon the drill is introduced into the ports k, already bored. In this n ay, the angle-cock does not require any further tak ing apart than is involved in removing the handle.

It u ill be understood that v. hen the plug or valve is in the closed position, as for the rear end or last car in the train, the hose 6X- tending from the angle-cock is placed it ith its end in the usual clip provided for the purpose and adapted to close the end of such hose and consequently of the train pipe.

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an air-brake system, the combinamaintaining the parts of the system forward and back of the angle-cock in communication with each other in any position of the valve and for releasing the pressure in the system vihen the valve of the angle-cock is turned toward the closing position, substantially as described.

2. In an air-brake system, the combination of an angle-cock having a port in its body leading from its plug or valve to the atmosphere, the plug or valve of said anglecock having means affording communication therethrough betvi een the parts of the bore of said angle-cock separated by the valve or plug in any position of the valve, said. means being adapted to register With said port upon turning the valve or plug toward the closing position, substantially as described.

3. In an air-brake system, the combina tion of an angle-cock having a port in its body leading from its plug or valve to the atmosphere, the plug or valve of said angle cock having other ports affording a communication through the valve transversely of its main port and adapted to register With the bore of the angle-cock upon the valve being turned to close off communication through the valve by its main bore, the main port of said valve being adapted to register with said first-named port u hen the valve is moved tou ard the closing position, substantially as described.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of March, 1908.

SAMUEL H. DUNNING.

IVitnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, WM. D. BELL. 

